They Realized But Will They Understand
by NinjaDevil2000
Summary: What do Henry and Helen think when they learn about their children, Narnia, and something else?


Disclaimer: I do not own the wonderful world of Narnia or the characters. I wish I did, because then I could publish a lot more books and be rich. Anyways, the world and characters of Narnia belong to C. S. Lewis.

Also, thanks to Alpha-Knights-Fan who helped me discover the problem with my not-being-able-to-publish problem.

The Pevensie siblings were wary of the coming winter. Every time winter arrived, Edmund would be plagued with dreadful fevers. The second year of their reign in Narnia, the healers ofCair Paravel had realized what it was. The cause was that the stab wound from the White Witch's ice wand had ice fragments left in it. Now, however, they were back in England, where the leaves were beginning to show their autumn colors, and they were afraid of what would happen this winter.

After returning from Narnia, they spent another two months with Professor Kirke, whom they realized had also been to Narnia, even witnessing its creation. They told him everything that had happened and he was amazed at the story he heard.

Now, they were about to return to their home in Finchley. They had received a letter from their mother, saying that their father was also returning home. They were wary of this as well, because none of them really remembered their father. Peter, Susan, and Edmund had been too young when he left and little Lucy hadn't even been born. Therefore, it was almost as if they were meeting their father for the first time, and for Lucy it was.

They were now on the train heading home. They had mostly readjusted to life in England, but there were still some minor problems. They would not eat anythings store-bought, having eaten fresh food every day in Narnia. Susan and Lucy, who had learned to cook well in Narnia, would make everything including jams, breads, and pastries, and Peter and Edmund had fished every day, at the small lake on the professor's property. Mrs. Macready had not much liked the idea of them cooking, but when she and the professor tasted the food, they realized how delicious it was. Also, they would all slip back into the ways of speaking and acting as they had in Narnia, without even noticing it, and sometimes something as simple as a meal, word, or sound would instantly cause them to have flashbacks.

The train sputtered to a stop and the children made their way to the doors, holding hands, excited but nervous. They looked around for their mother, and found her, her arm intwined with that of a kind-looking and handsome man. They both had excited smiles upon their faces and waved instantly when they saw them. The children made their way through the crowds, Peter and Edmund unnerved by the loud noises of the many people clustered in one small spot. As soon as they reached them, Lucy through herself into her mother's arms, with Peter, Edmund, and Susan all clustered around her. Henry was standing back, looking slightly upset by the lack of attention he was receiving from his children.

As they made their way, to the car parked outside, Helen introduced them all.

"Peter, Susan, Edmund, Lucy, this is your father." It was formal, but Helen was confused as to the best way to do this. It worked for them though, and Peter and Edmund remembered to lift their arms so as to shake hands with their father, barely even remembering how to greet people in this land.

"I can't believe how much you've all grown," Henry exclaimed with tears forming in his eyes. Lucy, always the empathetic one, launched herself into the arms of the father she had just met, causing the tears to fall and land on her golden hair. Susan threw herself into his arms as well. Peter and Edmund stood slightly back, with their mother, who was also silently crying. The trip home was mostly uneventful. Helen asked about the children's time in the country, but they were very vague in their answers, still very sensitive to the mere mention of Narnia or what had happened there.

The next few months passed in a blur. Helen was concerned at the changes she noticed in her children. Henry, having not been around, assumed that this was always how his children acted. However, at time passed, he had to admit that their behavior was strange. The children would stay in one of their rooms for hours on end talking about things their parents couldn't understand. Odd words like Aslan, Narnia, King, Queen, centaur, and so many others were brought up daily. She would not have admitted it, but Helen would stand outside their door, eavesdropping on their conversations. At first she assumed it was a fun game Lucy had come up with while they were away, but when she heard the other 3 talking about it as if it were real, she became worried. She brought it up to Henry, but he said she must let them come to her in their own time. She only hoped that that time would come soon.

The children, formal at first with their father, began to feel at ease around him. This made him happy as he felt he was connecting with his children. He would play chess with Edmund, fish with Peter, play with Lucy, and take walks with Susan. He had something in common with each one of his children.

Late one night, when the Pevensies were eating dinner, a Narnian dish of Susan's making, something happened that caused everybody to come forward. As they finished their meal, Henry did something that the four children would never forget.

"Oh! I almost forgot! Edmund, your mother said this was your favorite! I saw a few tins on sale at the store earlier and picked one up!" He grabbed a bag fro the counter and pulled out a tin. He lifted the lid and there lay small squares of jelly, coated in powdered sugar. Turkish Delight.

"Well, go ahead! Dig in!" said Henry, when none of them looked excited. In fact, they looked quite the opposite. Peter had paled, and Susan and Lucy looked worriedly at Edmund. Henry too, turned to look at Edmund, and was shocked at what he saw. Edmund was paler than ever, and looked as if he might be sick. Edmund slowly stood up and stammered, "I - uh - I need to do - something. I - excuse me!" He ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs. They heard the door slam, and all at once, his siblings charged up the stairs after him.

Henry looked at Helen worriedly. "What was that all about? I thought you said he liked Turkish Delight."

"He did, at least, he used to." Helen responded.

Edmund was sitting on his bed, shivering, reliving the nightmarish things he had experienced when he was with _her._ The Turkish Delight had brought back everything he had stuffed away and forgotten. He remembered the slash of her whip, the sting of her hand, and cruelness of her words. The scar just above his hip where she had stabbed him was now throbbing, as it always did when _she_ was mentioned. He heard the footsteps approaching his door, and as his siblings entered his room, he turned away so as to hide his face from them. All of a sudden, he felt loving, gentle arms wrap around him, and he buried his face in Susan's hair and wept. After a few moments, he composed himself and looked up at them, with a renewed strength in his eyes.

"There's something I need to tell you, that I've never told you before," he stated.

"What is it?" prompted Lucy.

"When I was _her_ prisoner, I - never mind," he stopped and glanced at them. They looked wary but curious. "I - Do you want to know?"

"Yes, I think we need to," stated Peter.

"Very well then. When I was her prisoner, she tortured me" he said simply. Three pairs of eyes widened and looked at him in shock. Peter, Susan, and Lucy had no inkling of what had happened to him there. They assumed that the Witch had hurt him a little, as he was sore when he came back, but apparently he did a much better job of hiding his injuries than they had thought.

Edmund continued to tell them of injuries; the lashings, the slaps, the lack of food. His siblings looked at him with sadness etched on their faces. They all wished that they could help Edmund, but they somehow knew that only Edmund could be the one to help himself this time. What they didn't know, was that Henry and Helen had rushed upstairs moments after their children. They were going to enter the room and comfort Edmund but stopped when they heard him mention a witch. As they listened, a shocked Henry stood frozen with a quietly sobbing Helen leaning on his shoulder. Neither had any idea what their children were talking about. All they knew was that something had happened to Edmund in the country. Something terrible.

At last, Henry couldn't take it anymore. He pushed the door open and, with Helen still leaning on him, entered the room. Four tearstained faces greeted him.

"Okay, I need to know. We need to know. What happened in the country?" he stated simply. Helen looked up and nodded with her husband, both staring at their four children. The children looked at each other, nodding, realizing that this couldn't be kept a secret any longer.

"Dad, Mum, you may want to sit down for this." Peter said. All four children's eyes were now dry and they all looked nervous. Peter, Susan, and Edmund looked to Lucy who had always been the best storyteller of them all. In all of Narnia, she was known as the best teller of stories. The story began.

Lucy told the story in wonderful detail. How she entered Narnia and met Mr. Tumnus, whom she spoke very highly of, and then her siblings entrance. She told of meeting the Beavers, and Edmund's subsequent betrayal, at which point, she had to force herself to keep speaking. Their meeting of Aslan was a wonderful point in the story, and even Helen and Henry couldn't keep the smiles off their faces. The story darkened as they told of Edmund's rescue from the Witch's hands, and the following Battle of Beruna, where Lucy had to tell of Edmund's near death. After this dip in the story, both their parents looked close to tears once again, which fell once Lucy told of their coronation. She told them of how they ruled over Narnia for fifteen years, how they were known as the fairest rulers ever, how Peter was the best leader in battle, how Susan was the kindest ruler to live in the longest age, how Edmund was known as the fairest judge in all the land, and how she, Lucy, was known as the sweetest and most faithful ruler. And they spoke of Aslan. They always came back to Aslan and always talked of him with the highest regard.

After a few long hours, Lucy's throat had gone hoarse and the parents' eyes had been opened. They realized that they were no longer looking at their children, but were looking upon Kings and Queens. They could understand now. They understood the ways they spoke, the ways the ate, and the ways the acted. With magnificence, gentleness, justice, and bravery. They understood.


End file.
